Perfect Cherry Blossom
by becauseimgray
Summary: Gensokyo is covered in a blanket of snow and Marisa is the first to notice something is up. What could possibly be keeping spring from coming? Is it just late or is there something else going on? Join our heroes as they adventure to try and discover the answer to this mystery!
1. Chapter 1 - The Petal Falls

In the mystical land of Gensokyo there are untold stories and legends that float around like a cherry tree's silk petals. This story however is told just as May is ending in Gensokyo. The season was ripe for winter to end and spring was arriving, or at least, that's how it should have been. In the Forest of Magic inside a small cottage, you could just barely make out the small face of Marisa Kirisame. The small witch's figure peeked out at the white snow covering the ground.

"That's odd." She muttered to herself. "I swore it was the middle of May last time I checked." She moved away from the window and looked over at her broom. The wooden handle lay by the side of a small desk covered in books. The desk was surrounded by boundless amounts of stuff. Random piles of junk littered the floors and covered everything but the bed in the corner which looked like it hadn't been used in ages.  
"I suppose I can't do my spring cleaning in this weather." Marisa sighed. She had planned on finally getting some of this junk sorted out this year. Out of nowhere, she heard a knocking on her door.  
"Of all people, who could that be?" Marisa rushed to the door, tripping over a toy train on the floor and fell flat on her face. "Gah! Damn, I gotta be more careful around here..." She picked herself up off the carpet, brushing her face off and turned the handle of the door. As she opened it, she saw the silver curves of Sakuya Izayoi's hair. Flashes of past memories came to her and Marisa backed away from the door instinctively.  
"...What do you want?"  
"Well, that certainly is a lovely way to greet a guest." The maid smiled. "I'm not here to fight, if that's what you think."  
The witch calmed down, mentally patting herself for being worried over nothing.  
"Sorry, it's just...last time we talked you tried to kill my friend."  
"I was protecting my mistress. You would have done the same for your shrine maiden, I'm sure." The maid tilted her head to the side in an understanding manner. "Now, the reason for my visit." The maid took a step into the doorway. Marisa noticed that there was no snow on her, regardless of the white fluff behind her.  
"I have noticed you have been making frequent visits to the Scarlet Devil Mansion...have you not?" Sakuya's eyes glinted in an evil fashion as she watched Marisa.  
"I..."  
"As I thought. My Mistress specifically requested for two things. One, she would like it if you stopped stealing our rations. With this snow, we are running out of supplies and unfortunately we've noticed you in the storage rooms lately."  
She eyed Marisa and the witch noticed a glint of malice in her eyes.  
"...Yes Ma'am. I'm sorry." Marisa took her hat off to make her point. "The food's in the cabinet upstairs..."  
The maid blinked and a box of food was in her hands. "Thank you. Now, the second thing is...the Mistress's sister has requested you play with her for the evening. I suggest that you make sure you are there on time...Madam Scarlet doesn't take kindly to waiting." The maid then stepped back into the snow and vanished.  
"...damn maids." Marisa said under her breath as she put her hat back on. As she began to close the door she noticed a cherry blossom fall onto the carpet of snow before her. Her eyes opened wide as she saw it glow a bright pink before turning into ash. The wind then blew the ashes away and it disappeared into the white abyss.  
"...What...was that?"


	2. Chapter 2 - The Lady Of Snow

Reimu sipped her cup of hot cocoa. She had specifically ordered the beans from a shop in the human village and they had been delivered a couple days ago per her request. The shrine maiden closed her eyes. Flashes of the past came to her, but she shook them off. That was for another time. She looked out at the donations box. Empty. With this snow, she would never have visitors. Why couldn't the weather just work normally for once?  
"Reimu!" The sliding door to the shrine slammed open, bouncing back under the force. Standing in full witch attire and covered in snow was Marisa, her face full of importance and her stance one of urgency. Reimu blinked.  
"Marisa? What's goin-"  
"There's no time for that!" Marisa yelled, glaring at the shrine maiden, "C'mon! I'll explain on the way!" The shrine maiden found herself being yanked by the hand and dragged out into the cold air. The hot mug of cocoa spilled out onto the carpet. "B-but...my cocoa!" The girl protested, but she was ignored and forced onto the back of Marisa's broomstick and flown away into the chill blue sky.

Sakuya walked through the halls of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Fairies fluttered past in maid outfits and set to work washing the windows as she passed by. Everything was in order, and that is just how she liked it. Sakuya looked out a window of the mansion as a bit of soap crawled down it's surface. She peered over the surroundings. Snow was everywhere. The Misty Lake was frozen solid and the mist that usually settled over it was higher in the sky today.  
"When will this end..." she muttered, wishing for spring to finally arrive.  
"Miss Izayoi, the Mistress would like to have a word with you..."  
"Thank you little one. You may return to your scheduled duties now."  
"Yes, your elegance." The fairy fluttered away.  
Sakuya blinked and the fairy froze in place. Everything around Sakuya was a pale color, even the blood red carpet of the Mansion was a dull gray. Sakuya rushed to her Mistress's bedroom.  
Remilia sipped a cup of tea and relaxed in her large queen sized bed. Just as she finished taking a nice big slurp of hot tea, her sister came rushing into the room, a sad look in her eyes.  
"Sissss!" The girl said, distraught. "Where's Ms. Witch?" The girl's rainbow colored wings jingled as she came over to the bed and grabbed Remilia's arm.  
"I don't know, sis. It's possible she is late due to the snow, though it isn't necessarily a blizzard out there."  
Remilia blinked and Sakuya appeared.  
"You requested my presence, M'lady?"  
"Ah, Sakuya, on time as usual."  
The maid bowed in respect. "What do you need of me?"  
"Flandre is missing a playmate, apparently. Though, that isn't what I brought you here for. I would like you to go out and find more rations. Apparently we are running out and this cold can't feed us." The vampire's eyes fluttered knowingly. "This weather isn't natural. Please be careful." She eyed the maid in a serious fashion.  
"Understood M'lady." The maid vanished.  
"...no playtime?" Flandre turned back to Remilia, a frown upon her face. She jumped up and down in earnest. Remilia sipped her tea.  
"No, no playtime today."  
"Awwww..."

Reimu stared at Marisa's blond hair as it blew furiously in the wind. She decided it was too much trouble to fly in this weather. She was sitting on the back of Marisa's broomstick, comfortable, yet annoyed with her predicament. "So would you mind telling me what's going on?"  
"The weather, it's magic."  
"What do you mean by that? Someone's messing with the weather?"  
The clouds sailed by them as Marisa flew over Gensokyo.  
"I don't know. That's why I grabbed you. This is probably an incident." Marisa turned to look at Reimu. "Donations don't make themselves, ze?" She grinned as Reimu shot her a nasty look and then turned to focus on where they were flying. They were shooting over the Misty Lake now. Marisa slowed her flight and then descended to a small patch of snow. They hopped off her broomstick. A blue shape went whizzing past their heads causing them to jump in surprise.  
"Dun dun dun!" They heard this and turned their heads to see the blue ice fairy, Cirno, making a drum roll with her belly. "The strongest has arriv- oh, it's just you two." The girl frowned, annoyed that her guests were not newcomers.  
"Hello Cirno." The two girls replied in unison with a bored expression.  
"What'cha doin' out in the middle of nowhere?" The fairy looked at them. "Did you get lost? Ha! I never get lost. I'm a genius." She smirked, as if this was the ultimate truth in the universe. Suddenly, a brisk chill wind came out of nowhere and the fairy held onto her bow as she was pushed away. "Aaah! What's going on?" The fairy cried out as the wind ceased blowing and a tall lady rose out of the snow. She had ice blue hair and a white scarf draped around her neck. Her crystalline purple eyes stared out from a face of pure snow-white skin and her firm blue lips were creased in the shape of a smile.  
"I thought humans usually hibernate during the winter...perhaps I was mistaken." The lady looked at Cirno, who whimpered and fluttered over to hide behind Marisa and Reimu.  
"Who are you?" Reimu inquired. She gave the woman a stern look and readied herself for an attack.  
"I am Letty. Letty Whiterock. I am a Yuki-onna, or to be more blunt, a lady of the snow."  
"So, it's you? Are you and Cirno to blame for this mess?"  
"Don't be silly. Cirno is just a lowly fairy. Don't compare me to her." She eyed the fairy who just glared back. "She is nothing but small fry, a glitch in mother nature's plans, if you will." She waved her hand as if Cirno was too much of a bother to even mention.  
"You can say that again!" The two girls replied in unison as Cirno burst into tears and flew away angrily.  
"You guys suck! Why do you have to be so cold?" She said as she faded off into the mist. Marisa snorted. Reimu didn't take her eyes away from Letty. She was still suspicious.  
"If you really are a Yuki-onna...doesn't that mean you would melt if it was spring?"  
"That's correct." Letty smiled at the shrine maiden. "You're a smart one, aren't you?"  
"Yeah Reimu, since when are you such a bookworm on magical beings?" Marisa said, still laughing at Cirno's terrible pun.  
"I'm not, but I bet Letty would do anything to keep it from becoming spring, wouldn't she?" Reimu replied, saying it slowly so Marisa would notice her implications.  
"Ohhh..." Marisa caught on, and shot a glare at Letty. "Yeah! What's the big idea? You the one who's making it snow in the middle of May?"  
The wind whistled and encircled them, kicking up snow and mist. The silence was awkward, but Reimu didn't deter from her focus on Letty. Marisa kicked at the snow impatiently.  
"You are both mistaken." Letty finally answered, looking down at the snow on her feet and her face drew into a sad expression. "While it's true, I would melt in the warm air of spring...it is part of being who I am that I must accept the change of the seasons, even if it may endanger my life." She looked up at the two girls. Reimu relaxed. So, it wasn't her. Marisa looked like she was trying to understand what Letty was saying.  
"So, You aren't the culprit?" She sounded disappointed, like she had been ready for a fight.  
"No, however, the weather is not changing as it should. Something is wrong, and I'm sure you two have noticed it as well." She smiled at Reimu.  
Reimu returned her smile with a question, "Do you know who could be behind this?"  
The youkai answered. "This weather is due to an anomaly much greater than I. You must travel to Youkai Mountain. There, you will find your answer." Mist began to encircle the woman and as Reimu opened her mouth to ask for more information, Letty vanished completely, turning into a pile of snow in front of them.

Sakuya trudged through the snow at a steady pace, though her elegance had been lost in the cold. Her teeth chattered endlessly and her nose was a bright red.  
"I should have taken a heavier coat." She thought to herself and as the mist began to clear, she saw the tips of Youkai Mountain lurking in the distance. "I'm sure one of the Divas of the Mountains must live there. Perhaps they can assist me in providing for Mistress Scarlet...but this damn weather is getting to me." Sakuya's vision began to falter as the mist began to fog up twice as much as before. Sakuya felt the cold eat at her, and as the temperature seemed to lower even more she fell face first into the snow.  
"M'lady...have...I failed you?" She said as her eyes closed, giving into the cold around her.

"Yeah! Snapshot!" Marisa and Reimu looked over their shoulders as they flew towards the mountains to see the Tengu, Aya Shameimaru, flying behind them. She was taking snapshots of them, her wings propelling her forward at incredible speeds. "This will look awesome on the front cover! Witch and Shrine Maiden, traveling together once more!" The reporter had been shipping her newspaper to Reimu's shrine ever since the Scarlets made a mess of Gensokyo. Reimu had tried to cancel her subscription, only to find out she didn't have one. It was being done as a tribute to her heroic deeds and she couldn't really say no to that kind of thing.  
"Why are you following us?" Marisa asked in an annoyed tone. "Can't you find a better story somewhere else?"  
The Tengu looked up from her camera. "Nah." She shrugged then grinned and fluttered over to take another picture of Reimu, who was currently contemplating how stained her carpet was from that hot cocoa. Then something occurred to her and snapped her out of her thoughts. "Maybe we should try to find Lily White!"  
Aya shook her head. "I tried that too. She was supposed to change the season ages ago, but I was told to stop snooping."  
"Who told you that?"  
"Oh...it was a little kitty cat!" The Tengu floated over and sat down on the end of the broomstick, causing Marisa to grunt from the weight.  
"A cat?" Marisa said, a strained expression on her face. "Of all things, a cat made you stop snooping?"  
"Yeah! She told me I was getting in way over my head. Then she threatened to burn my newspaper. I flew away after that." The bird youkai smiled and laughed cheerfully, even though this news was pretty negative.  
"Where'd you see this cat?" Reimu asked, intrigued.  
"Oh! It's just in this town by the mountains!" The Tengu stood up on the broom, pointing towards the mountains, but as she stood up, Marisa made an even louder grunting sound and the broom shifted under the bird's weight, and then after a slight pause it decided it couldn't handle it any longer and began plummeting towards the icy ground below them.

Sakuya awoke to the sound of an open fire. The light sounds of crackling echoed around the room. Pushing herself up, a light brown woven blanket fell off her and tumbled to the floor. A slight chill from a hole in the wall to her left caused her to shiver and pull the blanket back around her. Where was she? It almost looked like a cave, though she could see out the two small carved out windows in the rock walls beside her. Snow was billowing at quite a rapid pace outside. A blizzard. Someone must have saved her. She stood up and noticed her outfit hanging on the wall. Grabbing it, she slipped on the gown, and pulled the apron tightly around her waist. She also equipped a slot for her knives that she wore under her thighs. Looking around, now fully clothed, she began to make her way out into the snowy air.  
"Where -hick- do you think you're goin'?" A small drunk-sounding voice said, stopping her in her tracks.  
"Are you the one who saved me from the cold?" Sakuya said, turning ever so slightly to see her savior. She was grateful for the act of heroics, but she wasn't about to start trusting anyone. She was, after all, possibly a captive in someone else's house. Out of the corner of her eye she could see a small girl with orange red hair. The girl was drinking what looked like a bottle of sake.  
"That's -hick- right. I didn't even get a thanks. Just gonna take off like that? No feasting or anything?" The girl jumped from where she was sitting and flew over Sakuya's head, landing directly in front of her, blocking the doorway. Sakuya took a few steps back in surprise. This wasn't just any girl. Out of the top of her ginger hair there were two large red horns that extended quite far off her head. The girl eyed Sakuya before taking another swig of sake from the bottle. The chains attached to the girl's hair and arms jingled as she did so.  
"You...You're an oni...a Deva of the Mountain!" Sakuya said. "I thought they all lived underground!"  
"That I am, though I prefer to party above ground. Why don't you stay and party with me for -hick- a little while?" The oni drunkenly requested.  
Sakuya nodded. "You are actually exactly who I wanted to talk too. You see my Mis-"  
"Yeah, -hick- there's time for that later." The oni interrupted. "I've got -hick- plans. I need to prepare." Sakuya glared at the small demon for her rudeness. The oni, not caring that Sakuya was unhappy with her manners, turned on the spot, the chains attached to her wiggling with her movements as she took another drink of sake. She then teetered outside into the cold environment.  
"This is quite the mess I've gotten myself into this time." She said to herself as she reluctantly followed the drunk footsteps of the Deva of the Mountain.

Marisa's head popped out from under the snow. Cussing under her breath at the Tengu, she surveyed her surroundings. They had landed in the middle of a small town, and from the looks of it, it was at the foot of Youkai Mountain.  
"Reimu?" Marisa looked around for her friend but didn't see her anywhere. "That's strange, I wonder where she could have landed..." Suddenly a cat jumped out from her right. It sat on the porch of a nearby house. Marisa ignored this furry intruder and continued searching through the snow. The cat simply sat and watched Marisa bend over and push snow around.  
"You-whoo! Reimuuu!" Marisa called out. "Gosh, maybe she went on without me!" The witch stomped her foot angrily into the snow, only to end up covered in it.  
"Brrr..."  
"Your friend isn't here, you know!"  
Marisa looked around wildly as the voice of a young girl echoed off the mountains.  
"Who said that? Show yourself!"  
"Haha, you're silly! I'm pretty obvious!" Marisa turned around to stare at the cat.  
"Oh, you're kidding..." Marisa said as she noticed the cat had two tails.  
"I'm sorry little witch, but I have no time for jokes." The cat jumped off the porch and as Marisa watched, almost in slow motion, the cat's front paws turned into hands with long red nails. The chest of the cat sprouted a red tunic and the back legs of the cat began to morph into the legs of a young girl. The cat finished her little hop and landed with a soft thud on the snow, one foot in the air, a small green hat landing on her head. She smiled a wide grin, the cat ears still on her head twitching happily, and Marisa could have sworn she saw whiskers on her cheeks still.  
"Let's play a danmaku game! If you win, I'll tell you what's up with the weather...but if you lose...you have to go home!" The girl winked and Marisa groaned.  
"Damn kids..." Marisa said. "Fine, I guess I can't really refuse an offer like that. My name's Marisa by the way."  
"My name's Chen!" The cat smiled at her and made a meowing sound.  
Marisa lazily hopped on her broomstick, but just as she did, Chen giggled and then disappeared in a flash.  
"Damnit, where'd that stupid cat run off t-" But before Marisa could finish her sentence a green shard of magic went flashing by her face. Marisa had barely registered what was happening before the sky was full of green danmaku, falling like arrows towards her.  
"...Shit!" Marisa took off flying, rusty from a lack of practice. The danmaku rained down on her like shards of glass from a broken window, cutting lines in her skin which were instantly soiled by the deep red color of her blood. She hadn't practiced her skills and because of this Marisa was paying for it.  
"At this rate, I'll be cut to bits!" Marisa said, screaming in pain as a large green shard smashed into her arm, leaving a large red blood stain. Just as Marisa thought it couldn't get any worse, Chen appeared once more, standing on a rooftop.  
"So, having fun yet?" She smirked and Marisa almost thought she saw a glint of evil in her eyes.  
"N-not particularly." Marisa replied, continuing to try and dodge the bullets. The cat purred.  
"Well then, how about we liven things up a bit?" The girl jumped in the air, much higher than Marisa had ever seen a normal human jump and as she dodged another bullet coming her way she was knocked off her broom by Chen landing on it. The broom propelled itself in a random direction, flinging Chen away from it. She flew through the air and flipped, landing gracefully on her feet in the snow. She turned to Marisa and winked. "Cat's always land on their feet, you know!" And just as Marisa snorted at such a terrible punchline, the rain of danmaku finally finished falling on her head, covering Marisa in blood and snow.

Reimu spat out the large mound of snow that she had somehow managed to bite down upon when she hit the ground. Shaking the fluffy snow off her head, she proceeded to pat down her blouse and survey her surroundings. She had somehow managed to fly off the broom and land somewhere on the outer regions of the Forest of Magic. Trees surrounded her and she could see the Youkai Mountains quite close, but still distant from her location.  
"Well, I suppose it's never easy being a Shrine Maiden." Reimu picked her feet up, took a deep breath, and started walking, her destination set for the Mountain tops.


	3. Chapter 3 - The Magician's Cottage

Sakuya walked out into a courtyard made of stone. Snow blew through the rocks around her. Suddenly, the wind reached her and she cuddled herself for warmth. The oni was sitting at the end of what looked like a large table made out of a slab of stone almost four yards long. The snow didn't seem to bother her much, though that was probably due to her drunken state. She had her feet up on the table. She was taking multiple gulps of sake every minute or so. Sakuya walked over to the stone table and pulled a chair up. She gracefully set her butt down onto it but suddenly gasped out in shock as she touched freezing cold stone.

"It's -hick- surprising at first, but I'm used to it by now." The oni burped. "It's not as much fun as it used to be though. That's why I've got myself a plan." She hiccupped once more and then took another gulp of sake. "I plan on having a party. Way I -hick- see it is, if we party enough the cold won't bother us and then we can just wait our way through till -hick- spring." Sakuya stared at the little demon. "And, what if they don't want to come to your little party?" She asked suspiciously.

The oni slammed her drink down on the table. "And why wouldn't they? A feast? Drinks all 'round? Nobody can resist a party!" The smile on the oni's face made Sakuya almost start to hear the sense in the oni's words, but she caught herself. She straightened her posture and then replied, "So you intend to invite people?"  
"No, no, you don't get -hick- it. I'm gonna bring everyone here! I'll use the magic power of the Divas. We can make everyone come to our party." She winked and then jumped up and stood on the table.

"Here-hick-I'll show you!" Then, she began dancing. She placed her bare foot on the table and slid along its surface. The chains rattled with her movements as a strange feeling came over Sakuya. She heard music. This music didn't come from any specific location but she could hear it clear as day.

"Wait, what are you doing to me?"She said, but the oni didn't stop her dance. "Where is that music coming from?" Sakuya began trying to fight it, but she found herself tapping her foot. "No! No! I don't want to!" She clasped her hands over her ears in desperation, but it was no use and she fell to her knees as the music got louder and louder. "I...I can't resist..." Sakuya closed her eyes and screamed.

Reimu walked through the snow. Her footsteps were all she could hear other than the wind occasionally whistling through the trees. In front of her were the Youkai Mountains. Their peaks reached extremely high, and Reimu had to crane her neck quite a bit to see their tips.  
"I wonder if I'll ever get out of here." She wondered to herself and looked around. She didn't seem to be any closer to the Mountains. "I guess this means I'm lost. Damn magical forests and their enchantments." She sat down on a stump. "I wonder if this is how humans get eaten." Her smile turned into a look of disgust. "There you go again, Reimu. Thinking about that kind of thing probably attracts hungry youkai." She looked down at her feet. Then she peered back at the spot where she had been walking. In front of her was a large arrow. It had been drawn in the snow and it was pointing ahead. Reimu jumped off the stump and rushed in the direction the arrow was pointing. She stopped in her tracks. In front of her was a small cottage. It wasn't Marisa's cottage, Reimu knew that much. Marisa's house was on the outskirts of the forest. This was deep within its confines. Suddenly, Reimu felt strange and she began to feel her surroundings swirling around her. "What?" She cried out as she began to feel weak in the knees. Her head hurt. Why did her head hurt so much? The door is opening. Why does it seem so far away? Reimu fell to the cold ground as her name was called out. The voice seemed strangely familiar, she thought, as her eyes fluttered shut.

When Marisa came too, she found herself covered in snow. The winds had begun to pick up once more. The world around her spun and she felt a sharp pain in her side. Looking over her shoulder, she saw a great green shard sticking out of her like a piece of glass. She saw her reflection in it and noticed that her face was drenched in her own blood.  
"D-Damn…" She groaned.  
"I can't believe you thought you could win a match against me." Chen purred. She was standing over Marisa. Her body was sprawled out like a corpse.  
"You really thought I would let you in on anything? You're a fool, Marisa Kirisame."  
"H-how…" Marisa spluttered. "How do you know my last name? I never told you…it…"  
Chen just meowed. "I suppose, I'll have to kill you. There's no point in letting you live, you'll only interfere with my master's plans." The cat then took a shard that was sticking out of the ground with her hand and aimed it at Marisa.  
"Goodbye, Witch."  
She began to thrust, but before she could make the finishing blow, a sudden cold breeze blew at her and a cry echoed off the mountains.  
"Stop!" Marisa and Chen both turned to look and saw Cirno soaring towards them.

Reimu awoke. She was in a small wooden bed. The light came in through a small circular window behind her. She smelled hot cocoa and as she lifted herself up out of the bed, a woman drifted into the room. In her hands was a platter with two cups of hot chocolate on them. Reimu gaped at the woman. She wore a blue dress with frills, and her shoulder length blonde hair was almost the same color as Marisa's. "Who are you? Where am I?"  
The woman's eyes stared at her in momentary confusion. For a second, Reimu thought perhaps the woman was as uninformed as she was. "I'm sorry to hear you don't remember me, Reimu."  
Reimu's head suddenly hurt. "H-how…"  
"The forest directed you here though, so I am sure this encounter was meant to be." The woman smiled. "Oh! I suppose I'm being quite rude, aren't I? My name's Alice. You apparently don't remember anything. I'm so sorry, Reimu."  
Reimu's head felt like it was about to burst. Her body was shaking and she could barely manage to pay attention to what Alice was telling her. "My head feels woozy. Could you leave me alone for a bit? I need to collect my thoughts."  
"I understand. I'll come back in a couple of minutes. Don't let your hot chocolate get cold, okay?" Alice walked out of the room and shut the door behind her.  
Reimu's head stopped pounding. She could finally think.  
"I…don't remember anything? Why can't I remember?" She banged her head on the wall which didn't really help. Now her head hurt again. She searched her memories as far back as she thought she could go. The last thing she could remember was something about an animal. Gah! Her mind began to hurt again. "Why is my mind blocking it out?"  
The door creaked. Reimu looked over at it and saw Alice peering in through the crack in the door.  
"I can see you, you know." Alice's face turned a bright red color and she came into the room.  
"S-sorry. I was just curious. I haven't seen you in years and well…"  
She looked away, as if she had something more to say. Reimu decided it was best not to pry though.  
Her head started to pound once more but Reimu shook it off.  
"I'm a magician, Reimu." Reimu's eyebrow rose at this.  
"So?"  
"I can help you remember…if you'd like."  
Alice sat down on the bed. "Let me show you." Alice took her hand and put it on Reimu's head. "Do you want to remember, Reimu?"  
Reimu nodded. "I feel empty. My head is starting to hurt again. Let's get this over with."  
Alice nodded. She closed her eyes and Reimu suddenly felt memories flowing back to her.  
The last thing she saw was a very old turtle and a tear crawled down her cheek. "I remember now. I remember everything, Alice."

Cirno punched Chen in the face. Chen was sent flying backwards, but she did a flip and landed on her feet. She purred. "So, the fairy wants to help her friend, does she?" Cirno glared at the cat. "You don't understand. I'm the strongest! A genius. A mastermind!"  
"You're a fool, if anything."  
"Take that back!"  
"I'll do no such thing."  
Marisa watched the two berate back and forth, and then decided she had enough energy to stand up. Ignored by the two combatants, she grabbed her hat and patted the snow off it. Then she performed a healing spell. Then a large splat of blood hit her full force in the face.  
"Wh-" but then she saw what was happening . Chen had grabbed hold of one of Cirno's wings and pulled it clean off.  
"N-No! What are you doing?"  
There was a glint in Chen's eyes of evil intent. She was pulling at the other wing and Cirno was desperately trying to escape. Cirno grasped at the snow with one hand and pulled, but to no avail. Marisa watched, her mouth wide open as what played out before her seemed like it was in slow motion. The crystalline wing attached to Cirno's back was pulled off and Cirno's face went pale as a ghost. She fell forwards, her face one of immense pain and she hit the snow hard as blood splattered on the pure white ground.  
"No!" Marisa cried out. "No, No, No!" She knelt by the fairy. "Cirno…"  
The cat walked over to one of the shards. Picking it up, she caressed the edge. "Serves that fairy right. She was way in over her head."  
"How can you say that? You're not a cat…you're a monster!"  
"I'm neither. I'm a shikigami. I do what I'm told and I was told to not let anyone escape. Now, stay where you are so I can finish you off once and for all."  
She threw the danmaku. Marisa watched as the large piece of magic went sailing through the air towards her.  
"Nobody hurts my friends!" Cirno picked herself up and flung her body in the way of the danmaku. Her small form careened in front of Marisa who put her hands up and tried to duck out of the way. Cirno stuck her small arms out just as the shard reached her. It punctured her chest and Cirno cried out in pain as it dug in deep. Marisa cried out, her screams drowned out with her tears as they ran down her face. Cirno fell, a single tear dripping down her face as she landed in the cold snow face down. The wind brushed at the bow in her hair and she managed to mutter the words, "I really am…the Strongest," before her eyes closed and her heart stopped.


	4. Chapter 4 - The Funeral

Marisa's hands and face were splattered with blood. She raised a hand to her face as she felt tears creep down her face. Cirno's face was still grinning but her eyes were closed and her body seemed completely devoid of life. Chen's eyes glared at the scene before her. She meowed softly. "That...was unexpected."  
Marisa turned to glare at Chen.  
"I'm not done with you." She raised her hakkero at Chen's face. "This ends here."  
Chen's eyes glazed over and her pupils grew large. "No, I must report this to my master." Chen vanished in a flash of snow and blood.  
Marisa cursed under her breath and looked back down at Cirno. Her wings were lodged in the wood of a nearby house. The wood had splintered where they had struck and blood was dripping down onto the snow. It was a disgusting sight. Marisa walked slowly over to Cirno's body and lifted her up onto her shoulder. She then walked over to the shore of the Misty Lake. It was just on the edge of the town and had been frozen over by the endless winter. The snow was starting to come down and Marisa knew she didn't have much time to do a proper burial. This would have to do for now. Marisa crouched down and put her hakkero onto the lake.  
"Spark." She said under her breath. The hakkero glowed and morphed into a small wooden boat. The lake began to heat up and the ice cracked and melted around the boat. The creaking of wood on water was all that could be heard now as Marisa lowered Cirno's limp body into the boat.  
"Rest in Peace, Cirno." Marisa said and she pushed the boat off the shore and watched as it drifted into the distance. A single tear ran down Marisa's cheek and landed on the snow.

Reimu's eyes fluttered open as Alice lifted her hand. "I remember everything, Alice."  
Alice stood up from the bed and looked Reimu up and down. It was true, even Reimu's posture had changed. Reimu was battle-ready. "So you have, Reimu..."  
"The amnesia I had was due to a certain boundary. It was put there for my protection."  
"So what will you do, Reimu?"  
Reimu turned to look at Alice.  
"You are one of the demon children. I won't be telling you anything."  
Alice glared at Reimu, her smile forming into an evil frown.  
"It seems...you remember too much, Shrine Maiden." Suddenly, the woodwork in the house became alive with movement. Dolls, hundreds of animated dolls began seeping from the walls. Their cold eyes turned to glare at Reimu and as the shrine maiden jumped out of the bed she was in, Alice's dolls pounced with their strings leading back to the Magician's fingertips.

Chen was climbing the stairs of the underworld, her two tails flickering back and forth.  
"I can't believe I killed someone who wasn't even involved. My master will certainly have a swift punishment for this..."  
All of a sudden, a girl appeared before the cat. Her silver hair glistened in the moonlight.  
"Ah, Youmu. Have you seen my master around?"  
"She wants to talk to you. She doesn't seem too happy, Chen." Youmu replied, turning on her heels and beckoning to the cat to follow. Chen followed reluctantly.  
"So...uh...hows gardening going for you, Youmu?" Chen said, trying to strike up a conversation while eyeing the swords on Youmu's back.  
"Ah, the flowers need watering as usual, but my Mistress has her special project for me to attend too at the moment so I can't be bothered with the smaller flowers."  
"I see..." Chen said, her gaze not drifting from the back of the gardener. "So, you use those swords often?" Youmu swiftly turned around, a menacing look on her face. "We've arrived." she simply said, and then walked away, leaving the cat to face her master's wrath alone.  
In front of Chen was a small house. It appeared empty, but Chen knew better. She pushed her hand up against the sliding door, taking a deep breath, and then moved it aside. There in front of her was a fox with nine tails. Chen kneeled before her master and stuttered, "I have returned to you, Mistress Ran."  
"Welcome back, Chen."  
"...I'm sure you have heard of my grave mistake."  
"I was watching your actions the entire time."  
Chen bit her lip, and a little bit of blood came from where she was biting. She licked it off with her tongue and then looked up at Ran. In front of her was no longer a fox, but a tall and beautiful woman. The nine tails behind her remained, but they had grown and they now filled the room they were in. The fox-woman stared down at Chen with harsh eyes and a frown that seemed stone cold.  
"Your punishment will be swift, Chen. I want you to go and wake Madame Yakumo. I'll let her deal with you."  
Chen breathed a sigh of relief, but Ran noticed.  
"Do not think I am being light on you, Chen. You know how the mistress is when you wake her up."  
"Yes, Master. I understand the difficulties." Chen then dashed off out of the house on her master's orders, her tails between her legs.


	5. Chapter 5 - Hakugyokurou

Dolls came down on Reimu like rain drops. They all carried miniature swords and their eyes were red and sharp with deadly intent. Reimu's memories had returned however, and with her amnesia no longer a hindrance she was much faster than Alice's dolls. A doll swiped at her but Reimu dodged, a spell card already prepared. She cast it, and two Yin-Yang orbs appeared beside her. The dolls shrieked angrily and came pouring down on the orbs, but they burst into fire as they were shredded into bits by danmaku. Reimu walked through the debris of the exploding dolls, her stance one of pure fury.  
"Since Makai, you haven't changed at all, Reimu." Alice said, a grimace on her face. "You truly are amazing to watch in battle."  
Alice then swished her hands in-front of her and the house began to shake. Reimu steadied herself and looked above her as a giant doll lifted the roof off. It looked down at Reimu's tiny form and let out a loud shriek that echoed so loudly off the surrounding area that birds in every tree for a mile began flying away. Reimu just glared at the giant doll. "A Goliath Doll. That's a new trick."  
"I'm glad you appreciate my handiwork." Alice said, flying up to sit on the doll's shoulder.  
Reimu just grabbed a spell card and threw it at Alice. The doll swished it's hand to catch it but it caught on fire as it did so. Reimu jumped up and kicked the Goliath Doll in the face, sending it stumbling back a few paces. As Reimu did a flip in the air, she grabbed a couple spell cards and angled herself before throwing them at the Doll's feet. The Doll's feet caught on fire and as the Doll began to fall backwards Alice jumped off and began throwing danmaku at Reimu. Reimu dodged them easily, and then she flew towards Alice as if she was about to go for a punch. Alice began putting her arms up in defense but as she did so, Reimu kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying into the house below them.  
"Heh...not bad..." Alice said, wincing on the floor of her house.  
"Silence." Reimu's eyes looked fiercely at Alice, as she descended back down to the ground. "Take me to the underworld. I know who my real enemy is."  
"...You don't mean..."  
"Not Makai. I need to go to Hakugyokurou."  
Alice nodded in understanding. She closed her eyes and then, without warning, she stabbed Reimu in the chest with a knife she had concealed behind her back.  
Reimu spit out blood and fell to her knees, her face one of complete surprise.  
"Very well, Madame Hakurei." She said, a twisted smile creeping along her face as Reimu blacked out from a loss of blood. "Hakugyokurou it is."

The Yama peered down at the fairy before her with an annoyed expression.  
"I'm telling you! I am the strongest in Gensokyo! If I was dead, then who would take my place?"  
"...A lot of people could take your place, you little insignificant fairy." The Yama muttered under her breath. Cirno stood in the middle of the room, her arms in a super-man pose.  
"Well, where am I anyways?"  
"You don't even know where you are? How did you even get past Komachi anyways?"  
"Do you mean the sleeping boat girl?"  
The Yama sighed with annoyance and brought her hand to her face at the thought of her stupid employee being lazy as always.  
"Where do you even go to the bathroom in a place like this?"  
The Yama rolled her eyes, ignoring Cirno's comment, and just waved her baton. "For being obnoxious, I sentence you to, uh, 1000 years in hell or something."  
"Hmph, a small price for the strongest!" Cirno objected. "Make it 1009, and then we'll talk."  
"This isn't up for negotiation, you idiot!" The Yama screamed down at the fairy. Her face had turned a bright shade of red. "That's what you're gonna get whether you like it or not!" A hole in the floor opened up and the fairy felt a whoosh of hot air go past her as the screams of tortured souls met her ears.  
"I can't go down there, silly! I'll melt! It just won't do." The fairy turned with her back to the Yama and stuck her tongue out in disgust.  
"I SAID IT ISN'T UP FOR NEGOTIATION!" The Yama, now at her limit, jumped off her seat and flew over the railing. She landed in front of Cirno and began pushing her towards the hole in the floor.  
"Just...get...in...the...damn...hole..." She said as she struggled under Cirno's weight.  
"B-but, I don't wanna!" Cirno exclaimed, flailing her arms helplessly.  
"IT'S NOT UP TO YOU!" The judge screamed as she made one last push on Cirno's back and sent her flying into the hole and down into hell.  
"AND STAY OUT!" The Yama said as the hole closed up and drowned out the newly added scream to the millions already being tortured.

A young fairy flew over the waters of the Misty Lake. She had on a green and white outfit and her fairy wings were akin to a Cicada's. As she flew, she noticed something in the mist. Curious, she floated down towards it. It was a boat, floating slowly over the waters. A tear crept down the fairy's face as she noticed what was inside of the boat. There lay Cirno, her arms crossed over her chest; Her wings missing and her eyes shut. The fairy cried out in anguish and flew down to the body, picking it up out of the boat and rushing off into the mist with it. Letty stood at the entrance of a cave, watching the snow as it poured down on the lands around her and suddenly took a step back as the fairy whooshed by her at lightning fast speeds.  
"Daiyousei? What is wr-" But as Letty turned around, she realized what the problem was. Daiyousei was crouched over the body of the ice fairy. Letty's face was one of pure shock. She stumbled over to the body and fell onto her knees.  
"No..."  
Daiyousei couldn't say a single word to the Yuki-onna. Her tears were too much for her to manage words. As the mist creeped over the lake, the sobbing of two friends could be heard echoing from the cave.

Marisa stood up and brushed the snow off her dress. She performed a quick spell on herself to wipe away any blood that had been left over from her battle with Chen. She lifted her hat and pulled out a spare Hakkero. Suddenly, she heard music. Marisa turned around but saw nothing.  
"W-what?" Marisa exclaimed, the music drifting through the air. "Who's there?" Then, out of the blue, a fairy went whizzing by Marisa's face. "T-that couldn't be..." Marisa turned to watch as Lily White, the bringer of spring, went shooting into the sky.  
"H-hey, wait!" Marisa shouted after her, but Lily was already gone. "That's it! I'm sick of chasing spring around!" Marisa grabbed her broom and hopped onto it. She darted into the sky after the fairy who was supposed to have brought spring. As she continued her pursuit, the music continued to play, louder and louder as Marisa ascended into the sky.

Reimu opened her eyes. Picking herself up, she put her hand to her heart, but she found that there was no wound.  
"What a bitch, that woman is." The shrine maiden looked around her. "Though, she did get me where I wanted to go." Reimu was standing on a humongous staircase. Around her, small lanterns floated out of her reach. They illuminated each stair individually and as Reimu began walking up the stairs, the lanterns followed to help her see where she was going. Reimu reached the top of the staircase and looked about her. A garden extended into the horizon with every possible flower you could think of and just at the end of the garden there was a massive tree. It's leaves were beginning to grow back and flower buds could be seen on the ends of the branches. Around the tree were billions of cherry blossoms, clumping to the ends of each branch. The tree was absorbing them into it's wood. The tree extended so far upwards that Reimu had to crane her neck to see the top.  
"Wow..." She said aloud, "I guess I found spring."


	6. Chapter 6 - The Gardener's Blade

Marisa could hear the music all around her now. She recognized the instruments as a trumpet, piano and violin but she couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Turning her broom in a full circle, she saw nothing. Marisa scratched her forehead in confusion.  
"Where the heck is that music coming from?"  
Before she could think about it any further, Lily went rushing by her again, this time downwards, towards a small break in the woods below. Marisa grinned and dashed after the illusive fairy. Below them, the small break revealed a worn-down mansion, it's windows were old and shattered and no lights could be seen coming from the inside. Suddenly, Lily turned around and stared at Marisa, her eyes turning red. She smiled and giggled, then disappeared right in front of Marisa as she came to a screech only seconds away from hitting the ground.  
"That was a close one! What the heck was that about?" Marisa said as she hopped off her broom, her small black shoes hitting the mossy ground below with a soft thud. Then, Marisa realized that something was different. She couldn't put her finger on it.  
"Wait a minute!" she exclaimed, as it came to her, "The music is gone!" Marisa was correct, the music has stopped. Marisa looked around her for any danger and then looked up at the mansion.  
"I guess...this is where the music came from..."  
Marisa then walked towards the front door of the mansion and gripped the handle with her hands. Pulling it open, a gust of musty air came out from the inside and filled her nostrils.  
"Ugh!" She said, coughing at the sudden musky scent, "Disgusting!"  
Marisa wiped at her nose in disgust and then continued opening the door. It creaked under it's own weight but wielded itself to her pulls. Letting go of the handle, Marisa sneakily waltzed into the mansion, with no idea where she was heading or who she would meet inside.

Reimu began walking through the garden. Her path was laid out before her quite neatly by a stone walkway. The flowers around her ranged from huge sunflowers to small roses. Everything was tidy and well-managed.  
"I give my props to whoever the Gardener is...this is unmistakably beautiful." Reimu said aloud.  
"She gives her thanks."  
Reimu turned her head swiftly at this reply, turning her head to see where the voice had come from. Standing in front of Reimu, the moon reflecting off her silver hair, was a young girl. She had two swords sheathed on her back, small cherry petals delicately painted on the sheaths and her eyes were a crystal blue. Her mouth was drawn in a small smile, but her eyes spoke of deadly intent.  
"So, considering what you've said, you must be the Gardener around here." Reimu said, turning to face the girl.  
"That would be correct. I am Youmu, Youmu Konpaku." As she said this, a small ball of see-through gas appeared around her. What could be called a tail appeared behind it and it twisted around the girl's legs cautiously. Reimu recognized this as a spirit. "Who's spirit is that? Why is it attached to you so much?"  
"You ask a lot of questions for a guest. This is my ghost. I am half-ghost, half-human."  
Reimu eyed the ghost for a minute, her eyebrow raised in curiosity, but then she drew her focus back to the girl. "Why are you stealing spring from Gensokyo? Don't you know that I am in charge of protecting the border there? You have breached that law."  
"I don't really care about your world. My job is to serve my Mistress. I suggest you leave now, before I have to cut you down." The gardener then turned on her heels, giving a small hmph of annoyance like a disapproving princess. Reimu wasn't about to let this girl get away with stealing spring. She drew a spell card, but Youmu was already ready.  
"You don't want me to draw these swords, Shrine Maiden." Youmu said. Reimu wasn't scared, however, and she threw the spell card at the back of Youmu's head. Before Reimu even knew what had happened, Youmu had caught the card between her fingers. She threw the spell card flying back at Reimu and she was sent flying backwards. Reimu picked herself up off the ground only to get a fist to the chin from Youmu. Reimu was sent flying into the air and came crashing back down, her back making a small snapping noise. Reimu felt blood gurgle up from her throat. "Ugh..."  
"I told you. Don't mess with me." Youmu then turned around and began walking away.  
Reimu began remembering past memories. She remembered Makai, and Shinki, and the way that she had sealed Gensokyo all those years ago, so that outside forces could never again make their way into Gensokyo. Now, somehow, someone had broken that border. Someone had entered Gensokyo without her permission and stolen something valuable. Was Reimu just going to give up?  
"No! I won't give up!" Reimu pulled herself up with her arm, her back in terrible pain, and she pulled out a spell card. "This isn't going to end without one of us on the ground!"  
Youmu's eyes narrowed and she turned to see Reimu fighting to get up. "In that case, I will make sure that you are not the one left standing." Reimu healed herself quickly, pulling herself up to her feet. She pulled out two spell cards, casting one after the other.  
The first card caused two Yin-Yang orbs to appear beside Reimu. They spun in their eagerness for battle. The second card made Reimu become bathed in a red aura. Reimu was ready for battle. Youmu just stared with a smile across her lips.  
"Bring it on, Shrine Maiden. Let's see what you've got."  
Reimu glared and then shot her first bullet. Just before it got to Youmu, she drew her sword. Reimu took a little bit to register what was going on. The danmaku was cut in half sending sparks flying into the garden causing it to catch on fire. Youmu darted at Reimu, her sword drawn back for a frontal attack. Reimu dodged to the side, the sword cutting across her ribs as fast as lightning. She bit back her screams, and aimed a laser at Youmu. The laser cut across the garden floor, slicing at Youmu, but Youmu reflected the beam with the blade of her Katana. The laser came straight back to the orb, blowing it up and throwing Reimu a few feet away. As she lay on the ground, Youmu jumped and sliced down at Reimu's head. Reimu rolled to the side, just as the blade came crushing down on her. Reimu shot a row of danmaku at Youmu but Youmu did a back flip away from them. In the air, she unsheathed her second sword and landed on her feet gracefully.  
"You are well trained in the art of fighting, Reimu Hakurei." The gardener remarked. "but, you are no match for the Kanpaku double sword style." She darted forwards, slicing at Reimu with both swords, but Reimu did a backflip, sending showers of danmaku at Youmu's head. Youmu barely moved, but she dodged each bullet like it was nothing.  
"Is that all you've got?" She said, as the last bullet came down. She lazily sliced at the bullet, cutting it into sparks that rained down around her. Reimu peered down, her small form floating above the garden which was now completely on fire. Flowers wilted around them as they began to slowly melt down to ashes. Youmu was terrifying in battle. Her small blue dress had been slightly burnt, showing her shoulders. Muscles could be seen and Reimu could tell this girl trained for battles like these on a constant basis. The girl's silver hair reflected the dark flames and the ghost companion she had floated above her, surveying the area for attacks coming her way. She was most definitely a formidable opponent. Reimu took one last look over the area, then readied her next spell.  
"I've got a lot of attacks hidden up my sleeves, Gardener." Then she cast her spell.  
"Dream Battle."


	7. Chapter 7 - Layla Prismriver

All around Marisa, the deteriorated walls of the mansion left gloomy shadows. Marisa could barely see where she was going through all the dust, but from the small bit of light in the room she could make out that she was in a main atrium of sorts. The window in the ceiling had fallen in on itself and there was wood sticking out in many places. The mansion had obviously seen better days. Marisa continued to investigate her surroundings. Suddenly, she heard the laughter of children come from behind her. Turning around swiftly, all she saw was a statue with it's head sliced off. Not much help. Marisa's teeth started to chatter. She wasn't cold, but for some reason they wouldn't stop chattering. She pushed her jaw up with her hand, but now she felt a chill run up her spine. The laughter continued and a door down a hall to her left crept open with a loud creak. A bright light could be seen coming from the doorway, even though the lights of the mansion should have been non-operational. Voices could be heard coming from the room. Marisa crept along the wall of the hallway and craned her neck to hear what the voices were saying.

"Layla!" The deep voice of a man called out to an unknown girl. "What did I tell you about running off by yourself?"  
"I'm sorry Father."  
"You listen to me, Layla. The Prismriver family is not for the frivelent. You need to focus on your studies, you hear me?"  
"Yes Father, I'm sorry Father."  
"Good, now practice your piano for me."  
Marisa heard the scoot of a stool and wood cracking. She assumed this was the girl getting ready to play. All of a sudden, there came a loud slam from the room and the lights went out. The wind had slammed the door shut. Marisa felt a shiver run down her spine. This was weird, but she had to press on! Marisa stood tall, and then she took a deep breath and swung the door open. Inside the room was the remains of a piano. Half of the keys were missing and the stool was knocked over. There was a very old carpet on the floor that had been eaten away by moths over the years, and the wallpaper was peeling away.  
"What a dump..." Marisa said aloud, but as those words escaped her lips, the music began to play once more. This time, the piano was all that could be heard, but it was the same song as before. It came from outside of the room, away from the Atrium. Marisa ran outside of the room as fast as possible and ran down the hallway.  
"I won't let that music get away from me this time!"  
Marisa turned a corner, almost slipping on the dust-covered carpet, and made a break for a door with light coming out from under it.  
"Aha!" Marisa said, as she swung the door open. Her large smile turned into a confused frown as, in front of her, she saw a perfectly brand new room. A small girl was staring at her hands, her tears flowing from her eyes like rain.

"Mommy...Daddy..." She cried, "Wake up Mommy..." The girl pulled at the shoulder of the dead parent, whom was laying on the ground. No response. Blood began seeping from the bodies and onto the girl's knees.  
"Please, I love you Daddy. Please..." The girl began pulling at her dad now, but only with the same result. "I'll practice anything you want, Daddy. Piano, Violin, Trumpet... anything you want!" The girl began ranting at her dead parents, the tears still not stopping their descent down her cheeks. "I know I'm nowhere near as good as my sisters...but they're just laying around, cant you see?" The girl pointed to a corner of the room. Marisa suddenly noticed the pile of bodies in the corner. Three young girls were laying in a pile of their own blood. Marisa took a step back in disgust and then looked back at the girl. She was looking straight at Marisa now, as if she could see her.  
"Please...give them back...please..._Marisa._" Marisa screamed.


	8. Chapter 8 - The Prismriver Sisters

Marisa hadn't been this terrified in a while. She raced through the mansion trying to find her way out, but somehow the corridors had become like a maze. Turning another hallway, she found herself back in the atrium, but something was different. The window in the ceiling had been repaired, and there were no corridors leading out of the room. The music had begun playing once more and in the center of the room were three girls. Marisa recognized them as the sisters of Layla, who'd been murdered and placed into a pile in the corner of the room. The three sisters were individually playing the music that had led Marisa into the mansion in the first place. The sister in the middle stopped playing her trumpet and looked up to gaze at Marisa's awe-stricken face.  
"Damnit, Merlin! Why'd you stop playing again?" The sister holding the violin stopped playing, and turned on the sister in the middle.  
"I'm sorry! It's just...the witch girl is here..."  
"Hey, I'll have you know, the name's Marisa." Marisa shouted at the bickering sisters.  
"Nice to me-" Merlin started, but she was interrupted by the sister with the piano.  
"Merlin, just keep your lips on your trumpet, please."  
"B-but Lyrica!" She cried out.  
"No buts," The violin playing sister replied. "Lyrica is right. We must finish practicing this song for Madame Saigyouji."  
Marisa was sick of being ignored. "Hey! Who is this Saigyouji chick? Where is she?"  
The three sisters turned to look at the witch. In unison they replied, "The lady of death is always waiting for newcomers!"  
Then, Layla appeared above them. Her neck hung from a rope attached to the ceiling, the window back to it's normal state of being destroyed. It seemed to have been pulled down from the weight of the girl. Blood dripped down onto the floor from the girl's ripped clothing and onto the carpet below. Suddenly, bright lights filled the room as the three sisters began playing a song. Danmaku filled the room, casting shadows everywhere. Their light illuminated the dead girl hanging from the ceiling.  
"Hey, Lunasa! I think it's time for some heavy tunes! How about we go out with a bang tonight?" Lyrica winked at Lunasa.  
"Sounds good to me!" Lunasa replied as Lyrica slammed her fingers down on the piano keys. With each note she started playing, danmaku began spinning to the tempo of the song. Merlin picked up the trumpet floating next to her and pressed it to her lips. Blowing into it, and pressed the pistons in unison with Lunasa, the danmaku began spawning more rapidly than Marisa could handle, as she jumped on her broom and began dodging bullets as they spun around the room. Finally, Lunasa picked up her violin and rested it softly on her chin and shoulder. She placed the bow on the instrument and began to slide it along the neck. The powerful music of all three sisters playing in unison was causing havoc for Marisa and her broomstick. She ducked and rolled as danmaku came careening around her. "I've had enough of this! Poltergeists or not, you're going down!" She aimed her hakkero at the three sisters and cast her famous spell, "Love Colored Master Spark!" The explosion blasting from Marisa's weapon of choice rocketed towards the sisters, but they were ready for it. The three sisters grouped together and chanted loudly, "Prism Concerto!" A shield of bullets appeared around the three, causing Marisa's hakkero to bounce off and hit a wall nearby. Unfortunately for the ghosts, the sun had not completely set yet and so the light from the sun stuck their spell directly, causing it to end immediately.  
"Dammit Merlin! Play faster!" Lunasa yelled, causing the trumpeter to cry softly into her trumpet.  
"Hey, don't be so hard on her Lunasa, she can only play as fast as my tempo is going!" Lyrica shouted at Lunasa. Lyrica glared at Lunasa and the two began to bicker about tempo and melody. Merlin continued playing her trumpet, not wanting to be yelled at. Marisa just stared at the three as they argued and the danmaku disappeared.  
"Uh...hey...guys?" Marisa said, floating above the mansion floor.  
"What, can't you see we're busy?" The two sisters yelled back at Marisa. Suddenly, a large piece of the ceiling came crashing down on Marisa's head. Marisa felt her mind go blank as she blacked out from the pain.


	9. Chapter 9 - The Yama and The Witch

Marisa shook her head as she awoke to the sounds of water and creaking wood. Surveying her surroundings, she found herself inside the hull of a boat. She attempted to stand up and the shifting of the boat almost destabilized her. A loud snore came from behind her. Marisa looked over her shoulder to see a young girl with red pigtails sleeping behind her. The girl was carrying a large scythe. Marisa raised her eyebrow in curiosity. Turning around carefully so as not to rock the boat, she took her finger and licked it. She placed it in the girl's ear.  
"AAAAAAH!" The girl screamed, causing Marisa to fall backwards laughing. The boat rocked back and forth and the pigtailed girl fell out of the boat screaming and into the cold waters of the river. Marisa stood up and peered over the edge of the boat. The girl was floating at the surface of the water, her teeth chattering.  
"Glad to see you can swim!" Marisa said, laughing at the girl.  
"Oh yeah? Let's see how you like it!" The girl swung her scythe through the water and slammed it into the bottom of the boat. The boat began sinking.  
"Hah! I can fly!" Marisa jumped, but nothing happened. "W-what?"  
"Nice try. This is the Sanzu River. There will be no flying."  
Marisa cussed under her breath and then groaned as her dress started getting wet from the water of the river draining into the boat.  
"So Komachi, who's going to be paying for a new boat?" A voice called from above. Komachi gasped and hid underwater. Above them floated the Yama, Shikieiki Yamaxanadu herself.  
Komachi bubbled sadly in the waters. "You're lucky nobody else will work for me. Now, Marisa, I will grant you your flight abilities if you will follow me to court."  
"Sounds fair enough." Marisa winked at Komachi and then flew into the air, following Shikieiki away from the scene.  
"Wait, what about me!?" Komachi exclaimed as the last of the boat sunk under the water.  
Marisa descended onto the other side of the Sanzu River with the Yama.  
"Heh, you're a lot shorter in person." Marisa commented.  
"You make remarks like that and court won't be necessary." She responded, and the two walked into the courthouse.

Reimu dropped to the ground, dodging a swift jump attack from Youmu. There were talismans flying everywhere, catching trees and flowers on fire and exploding in the air around Youmu. Youmu's ghost half was swishing back and forth in eagerness, watching the action. Reimu's bandages had come loose in several spots and her hair was a dark black from when an explosion had slashed at it with its fiery tendrils.  
Youmu darted forward, her swords slashing a nearby talisman, causing it to spin mid-air and explode next to her. She used the force of this blast to rocket herself into the air. Slashing her way towards the shrine maiden, she cut a path and aimed a good kick at the girl. Reimu dodged the kick, but a slash to the side got her and she fell to the ground in pain. "Heh, not bad…"  
"Your spells are a nice distraction, but I don't see much fighting from you, Reimu." The girl said, licking the blood off her blade.  
Reimu glared at this, and rushed at the girl as she had her tongue up to the sword. She pushed the sword up against Youmu's mouth, tongue still extended. "I can be a fighter if you'd like." Youmu glared at the shrine maiden. The sword began to glow blue and suddenly a large shot of energy came bursting out of it, slamming into Reimu and sending her flying backwards.  
"That's the Heaven's Sword technique. I wouldn't underestimate it."  
Reimu wiped the blood off her hands with a bit of cloth from her dress. "I hadn't planned on it."  
Youmu gasped as pain went through her body. The source of her pain was her left arm, where Reimu had been holding onto her. Where Reimu had been grabbing her was a spell card that the shrine maiden had concealed in her palm.  
Youmu's eyes widened as she realized what Reimu was about to do.  
"No, wait!" But it was too late. Reimu grinned and then activated her spell.  
"Duplex Danmaku Bounded Field!"

Marisa sat in a chair in the middle of a large room. The paneling for some of the walls was green, and others black, but the room stung the eyes with a main color of pure white. Marisa was glaring at a girl standing far above her behind a podium. This girl was the Yama, or judge of the dead, Shikieiki Yamaxanadu.  
"Okay, I know this is court and all, but why'd you have to go and tie me up?" Marisa said, kicking her legs in retort. Marisa's hands were tied behind her on the chair and she had no way of getting free.  
"Because you are a loose cannon, Marisa Kirisame!"  
"Not unlike your mouth…" Marisa said under her breath, giving up her angry kicking.  
"What was that?" The Yama said.  
"Oh, nothing…"  
"Well, whatever. I have watched you for many years, Mrs. Kirisame, and I believe that you are one of the most disgusting denizens of Gensokyo. You've stolen goods from countless residents and you always blow up everything in your path without a second thought! I hereby banish you to one-hundred thousand years in hell!"  
"What the heck?" Marisa said, with her mouth gaping open in astonishment. "You can't just do that! I thought this was supposed to be court!"  
"You dare object?" The Yama said, looking down on the girl with an evil grin.  
Marisa opened her mouth and then looked at herself. She was tied to a chair. Not really a great situation.  
"So…uh…how long was that again?"  
"ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND YEARS!" The Yama screamed. She quite enjoyed that number, and she swished her baton in the air with joy to show it. A portal to hell opened up in the floor and Marisa could hear screaming coming from the open gape.  
Suddenly, a blue flash came bursting forth from the open hole.  
"What?" The Yama exclaimed as the blue flash revealed itself to the room.  
"TA-DA! THE STRONGEST HAS ARRIVED!"  
The Yama put her hands to the sides of her head in agony. "THAT IS IT! I'VE HAD IT WITH BOTH OF YOU! I BANISH YOU BOTH TO HAKUGYOKUROU…LET YUKUKO DEAL WITH THIS CRAP!"  
She swished her baton in fury, and the fairy and witch found themselves standing on a small mountain several yards away from a giant tree that seemed to reach to the night sky above them. Or at least, they would have been standing…but Marisa found herself still tied to the chair.  
"Dammit, she couldn't have at least untied me?" The witch struggled, trying to get free from her constraints. Cirno watched the witch struggle for a bit before floating over and looking Marisa dead in the eyes.  
"…Where are we?"  
"I have no idea, why don't you get me untied first?" Marisa glared at the fairy.  
The fairy fluttered over to the ropes tying Marisa's hands and tilted her head in confusion.  
"What's taking you so long? Just untie me!" Marisa yelled, kicking her legs in annoyance.  
"How?"  
"What do you MEAN how?"  
"I don't know how…"  
"Just pull on one of the ro-" But as Marisa said this, she felt a hard tugging on her hands and yelled out in pain.  
"Ow! Not THAT rope! The other rope!" Marisa felt a small tug, and her hands were free.  
Marisa jumped out of the chair and rushed over to the fairy, tackling her into a hug.  
"Get off me! I'm the strongest you know! I'll have your head for this!"  
"Oh, Cirno, I thought you were done for…"  
"Well, I was for a moment there, but that mean lady opened up the hole and I could feel a gust of cold air so I latched onto it! Only a genius like me could have come up with such a feat."  
Marisa untangled herself from Cirno and stood up, observing her surroundings.  
"Well, now that we're both safe…where are we?" They were standing on the side of a small mountain ledge that curved around the peak and led off onto a small dirt road. Ahead of the road was a small garden. Marisa squinted and could make out two shapes, one of which was familiar to her.  
"Hey, that's Re-" But just as she was about to finish her sentence, a sonic boom shattered her words, sending ripples of force through the air around them.


End file.
